Simultaneous multifrequency receive circuits

Abstract

Disclosed are various receive circuits by which to receive a plurality of guided surface waves transmitted by a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes over a surface of a terrestrial medium according to various embodiments.

Therefore, the following is claimed: 
     
       1. A system for receiving energy in a form of at least one guided surface wave transmitted by at least one guided surface waveguide probe, comprising:
 a plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, each of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures being configured to receive energy in the form of at least one guided surface wave transmitted on a surface of a terrestrial medium; 
 a controller configured to at least:
 detect a plurality of frequencies that are available to receive the energy from a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes; 
 identify a selected one of the plurality of frequencies to receive energy; and 
 adjust one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy from the selected one of the plurality of frequencies by adjusting an impedance matching network in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of frequencies; and 
 
 an electrical load coupled to the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, the electrical load being experienced as a load at an excitation source coupled to the one of the plurality guided surface waveguide probes generating the at least one guided surface wave. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the selected one of the plurality of frequencies comprises a first selected one of the plurality of frequencies, wherein the identification comprises identifying the first selected one and a second selected one of the plurality of frequencies. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 2 , wherein the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures comprises a first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, wherein the adjustment of the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures comprises adjusting the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures and a second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the first selected one of the plurality of frequencies and the second selected one of the plurality of frequencies. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the energy is received substantially simultaneously at the first selected one of the plurality of frequencies and the second selected one of the plurality of frequencies. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a field meter to detect a field strength associated with individual guided surface waves transmitted at least one of the plurality of frequencies, the field meter being in communication with at least one of the plurality guided surface waveguide probes. 
     
     
       6. A method, comprising:
 detecting, via a computing device, a plurality of frequencies that are available to receive energy from a guided surface wave transmitted along a surface of a terrestrial medium by one of a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes; 
 identifying, via the computing device, a selected one of the plurality of frequencies to receive the energy; 
 adjusting, via the computing device, one of a plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the selected one of the plurality of frequencies by adjusting a respective impedance matching network in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of frequencies; 
 receiving the energy embodied in the guided surface wave using the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, each of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures being configured to receive the energy transmitted on the surface of the terrestrial medium; and 
 supplying the energy to an electrical load coupled to the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the selected one of the plurality of frequencies comprises a first selected one of the plurality of frequencies, wherein the selection comprises the first selected one of the plurality of frequencies and a second selected one of the plurality of frequencies. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures comprises a first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, wherein the adjustment of the one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures comprises adjusting the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy from the first selected one of the plurality of frequencies and adjusting the second selected one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy from the second selected one of the plurality of frequencies. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes comprise a charge terminal elevated over the terrestrial medium configured to generate at least one resultant field that synthesizes a wave front incident at a complex Brewster angle of incidence (θ i,B ) of the terrestrial medium. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the charge terminal is one of a plurality of charge terminals. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality guided surface waveguide probes comprises a feed network electrically coupled to a charge terminal, the feed network providing a phase delay (Φ) that matches a wave tilt angle (Ψ) associated with the terrestrial medium in a vicinity of a respective one of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the respective impedance matching network is one of a plurality of impedance matching networks individually coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, wherein a plurality of outputs of the plurality of impedance matching networks are coupled to a voltage regulator. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, each of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures being configured to receive energy in a form of at least one guided surface wave transmitted on a surface of a terrestrial medium by one of a plurality of guided surface waveguide probes; 
 a controller configured to at least:
 select a first frequency and a second frequency to receive energy from a plurality of available frequencies; 
 initiate adjusting a first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the first frequency and a second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the second frequency; and 
 initiate receiving the energy in the form of a first guided surface wave using the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures and a second guided surface wave using the second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures; and 
 
 an electrical load coupled to the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures and the second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures, the energy being supplied to the electrical load. 
 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the energy is received substantially simultaneously at the first frequency using the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures and the second frequency using the second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the initiation of adjusting the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures comprises adjusting a first impedance matching network corresponding with the first one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the first frequency and adjusting a second impedance matching network corresponding with the second one of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures to receive the energy at the second frequency. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a plurality of impedance matching networks coupled individually to corresponding ones of the plurality of guided surface wave receive structures; and 
 a plurality of transformers that are coupled individually to corresponding ones of the plurality of impedance matching networks. 
 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a plurality of rectifiers coupled individually to corresponding ones of the plurality of transformers; and 
 a voltage regulator coupled to the plurality of rectifiers. 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a plurality of rectifiers coupled individually to corresponding ones of the plurality of transformers; and 
 a plurality of voltage regulators coupled individually to corresponding ones of the plurality of rectifiers. 
 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein a plurality of output terminals of the plurality of voltage regulators are coupled in parallel to the electrical load. 
     
     
       20. The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to select the first frequency and the second frequency in response to a determination of the plurality of available frequencies by communicating with at least one remote computing device associated with at least two of the plurality of guided surface waveguide probes.